Closing means for tubes, bottles, or other containers



March 12, 1940. a. LINDSTROM CLOSING MEANS FOR TUBES, BOT' ILES, OR OTHER CONTAINERS Filed June 13, 1939 Patented Mar. 12, 1940 UNITED STATES CLOSING MEANS FOR TUBES, BOTTLES, OR

- OTHER CONTAINERS Bengt Iindstrom, Stockholm, Sweden Application June 13, 1939, Serial No. 278,943 In Sweden February 10, 1938' It is well known that tubes, such ascream tubes, usually are provided with a cap by means of which the mouth of the tube may be closed.

When it is desired to open the tube in order to squeeze out some of its contents, the cap must be unscrewed from the tube. In this manner it easily happens that the cap is lost so that the contents of the tube will dry and become spoiled. Moreover, the unscrewing operation is rather troublesome and must be effected by both hands.

It is also known to arrange a fixed or stationary cap of rubber on the neck of the tube, e. g. in the case of a paste tube. The top of this fixed cap is provided with an incision which normally is closed and which opens and permits the contents to be squeezed out under the action of the increased pressure arising in the tube when the latter is pinched. However, this device cannot be used for tubes having more perishable contents, for the incision in the cap does not always close completely even after that the pressure on the tube has ceased. A further disadvantage is that usually it is necessary to apply a very high I pressure on the tube to squeeze out the contents,

so that after some time of use the tube may break or be damaged otherwise.

The main object of this invention is to provide acIosing device whereby these disadvantages are removed. According to one feature of the invention the closing device or the cap, made of elastic material, is not arranged in a fixed position on the neck of the tube or container, but may be rotated and/or displaced backwards and forwards on the said neck within predetermined limits in such a manner that in a certain position of the cap the said incision or incisions become opened positively as a consequence of the fact that the upper portion of the said neck forces the elastic material of the cap outwardly approximately in radial direction. As soon as the cap is returned from this position the incision or incisions are closed automatically due to the stress in the elastic material.

It is clear that with this arrangement several important advantages are gained. In first line it is a favourable feature of the invention that the opening of the incision is not or is not entirely caused by pressure on the contents of the tube but by mechanical engagement of the said portion of the neck of the tube and the elastic material of the cap, so that the opening is efiected .without any strain. For this reason the elastic cap material surrounding the incision may be made of such a thickness that the incision will 55 close safely as soon as the pressure from the said portion of the neck of the tube ceases As the necessary movement or displacement of the cap to open the incision only needs to be relatively small, this movement and the squeezing out of the contents of the tube may be effected by one 5 hand. Stop means may be provided to prevent the cap to move beyond a predetermined limit so that it cannot be dropped off from the tube inadvertently.

I prefer to make the said movement of the cap 10 in the formof a screening movement. To this purpose the neck of the tube and the innerwall of the cap are provided with one or more engaging threads, preferably of a relatively short length but having a suflicient pitch to cause the upper 15 rim of the neckof the tube to press the elastic material of the cap outwards when the cap is rotated a fraction of one revolution, say a quarter of a revolution.

Other features and objects of the invention will 20 appear hereinafter in the following description with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 illustrates an elevation of one embodiment of the cap, 25

Figure 2 a vertical section thereof,

Figure 3 a top view of the same embodiment,

Figure 4a the cap in position on the neck of the tube with the incision closed,

Figure 4b a similar view of the cap but with the 30 incision open,

Figures 5 and 6 examples of different forms of the incision,

Figure 7 a plan view of a modification of the I neck of the tube, I 35 Figure 8 a vertical section of a modified embodiment of the cap,

Figure 9 a horizontal section of the latter embodiment on lines 9-4! in Fig. 8, and

Figure 10 an elevation of still a further embodiment of the upper portion of the tube with the cap attached thereon.

In the drawing, I designates a cap of rubber, substitute for rubber or any other elastic material. At the top the cap I has one or more (in Figure 1 merely one) incisions 2, which normally are kept closed due to the stress in the rubber. The inner wall of the cap has a thread 3 (or more threads) of suitable length. If this length only is a fraction of the periphery it is suitable to arrange at least two such threads diametrically opposite to each other. The external form of the cap may have any shape, but I prefer to provide a number of longitudinal ridges 4' or the like to facilitate the manipulation of the cap. The neck .of the pressure the top of the neck of the tube 5 of the tube has one or more corresponding threads 6, the length of which is smaller than that of the thread 3.

In the use of the device the cap I is first forced on the neck 5 of the tube so that the thread 6 is caused to engage and project into the thread 3. The cap may now be rotated. through an angle determined by the difference in length between the threads 6 and 3, the closed upper end of the latter forming a stop for further rotation so that the cap cannot be unscrewed from the neck of the tube. Preferably, the. length of the thread 3 in excess of that of the thread 6 is so chosen as to permit rotation of the cap through a fraction of a full revolution only.

The threads are so arranged that in the most screwed up position of the cap, in which the thread 6 engages the closed upper end of the thread 3, the upper interior walls la of the cap, which preferably have tapering or conical shape, are free or substantially free from engagement with the upper rim 5a of the neck of the tube, the said rim preferably being-conical orrounded ofi. Consequently, the incision 2 is closed in this position (Figure 4a), so that the contents of the tube cannot be squeezed out therefrom even if the tube is compressed by a relatively high pressure. When it is desired to squeeze out a portion of the contents of the tube, the cap is screwed home downwards on the neck of the tube, to the position shown in Figure 4b. In this position the rim 51101 the neck presses against the walls la of the cap so that the latter are forced outwardly radially and open the incision 2. Now, the contents of the tube maybe squeezed out through the passage of the neck of the tube and through the incision 2 in the form of a string of desired section and length. In order to reclose the tube it is only necessary to rotate the cap upwards again so that the walls la are released from the pressure of the rim 5a. and the incision is closed.

Naturally, the threads may be so constructed that the incision opens a rotation of convenient angle, say a quarter of a revolution. Even the number and shape of the threads may be varied.

The shape of the incision depends'on the desired shape of the string to be squeezed out.

Figure 3 illustrates a preferred form, comprising a mainly straight incision, bounded by transverse incisions 2a in both ends. In this manner the rubber material in the longitudinal direction of the incision 2 is caused to open like a flap so that a flat, more or less wide string is produced. As shown by way of examples in Figures 5 and 6, however, other forms of the incision may be used, say in the form of a cross 20, a crescent M or even in the form of a greater or smaller stitch. Also more incisions may be provided. The embodiments shown are examples only.

At least with certain forms of the incision it it is desired to exert the pressure on the walls la mainly at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the incision 2, while the pressure in the longitudinal direction need not be so great. In order to establish such an irregular distribution may be provided with projections 8 at diametrically opposite places (Figure 7), which are so arranged that these projections will engage the portions la at right angles to the incision 2 exactly in the screwed home position of the cap as shown in Figure 4b. The same efiect may be gained by giving the rim of the neck of the tube non-circular shape or any other irregular form.

Instead of arranging projections on the neck be efiected by screwing. It is also possible to provide for a pure rotating movement in one single plane. In this case the form of the neck of tube shown in Figure 7 or any equivalent form should be used, so that the incision is opened when the projections 8 take up a position transversaliy to the incision.

A third alternative is to open the incision by a pure axial movement of the cap so that the rim 5a is forced into engagement with the tapering parts la. If desired elastic or resilient means may be .provided to return the cap automatically to its normal outer position (Figure 4a) in which the incision is closed.

In Figures 7 and 9 the reference figure 7 denotes the passage of the neck of the tube.

In order to indicate that the cap has been screwed home to its entirely closed position, I may provide indicating means, say in the form of a pointer or index 9 (Figure 10) on the tube, and a corresponding index It] on the cap. When these indexes register, they indicate that the cap is in closed position. The indexes may be coloured or made easily visible in other manner. The index Ill may be one of the ridges 4 having some characteristic shape.

If desired,a'- clamping ring or the like, for instance of metal, may be provided outside thecap to facilitate its retention on the neck of the tube.

The invention may be used for all kinds of tubes, for-instance containing creams'and also for bottles or other containers, from which it is desired to feed out the contents in small portions. In certain cases it is suitable to arrange the incision 2 in one of the lateral walls of the cap instead of providing it in the top surface. In this case the neck of the tube must be cor respondingly shaped. Moreover, the cap may be surrounded by a protecting sleeve of metal, Bakelite or the like, which has a slot of suitable size registering with the incision 2. 'As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, as defined by the following claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. 1 v

What I claim is: f

1. Closing device for containers, comprising in combination a neck on the container, a passage through the neck, a cap of elastic material displaceably arranged on the said neck, at least one incision through the elastic material of the cap. the said incision normally being closed under the action of the stress in the elastic material, and the upper portion of the said neck being so shaped as to force the elastic walls of the cap surrounding the incision outwardly to open the latter when the cap is moved to a determined position in relation to the said portion, while the in- I cision is left closed by the said portion in other positions of the cap.

2. Closing device according to claim 1, .in which the inner walls of the cap near the incision taper towards the incision.

3. Closing device for cream tubes comprising in combination a neck on the tube, a passage through the neck, a thread on the external surface of the neck, a cap of elastic material dis-.

placeably arranged on the said neck, at least one incision through the elastic material of the cap, the said incision normally being closed under the action ofthe stress in the elastic material, a-

and to force them outwards and open the incision upon rotation of the cap in one direction.

4. Closing device accordingto claim 1 in which the incision has the shape of a straight incision, in both ends bounded by a transverse incision.

5. Closing device according-to claim 1, in which the upper portion of the neck engaging the inner walls of the cap has non-circular cross-section.

6. Closing device accordingto claim 1, in which the upper portion of the neck has projections at,10

two diametrically opposite places.

7. Closing device according to claiml, in which the upper portion of the inner walls of the cap has shoulders at two diametrically opposite places.

16 8. Closing device according to claim 1, in which 

